Weather Report: Tom Skilling 7-Day Forecast WGN-TV Weather Center.

Ask Tom Why

February 08, 2007|By Tom Skilling

Dear Tom,

I just bought a new weather station and need to set the barometer. What is the neutral point for Chicago's barometric pressure?

Brian Shannon

Dear Brian,

The average barometer reading for Chicago is about 29.92", but when setting a new barometer you should always set it to the current barometric pressure and not the average pressure. You can get the latest area barometer readings from the Chicago NWS website: www.crh.noaa.gov/lot by clicking the observations link on the left side of the page (under "current conditions") and then selecting the Illinois State Roundup. There will be a list of current weather observations from all over the Chicago area and the state of Illinois. There you can set your barometer to the value for the location closest to you. Once set, your barometer will change as the air pressure rises and falls.

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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.